Home : Classic Fights : Bobo Olson

Randolph Turpin vs. Bobo Olson
World Middleweight Title
Madison Square Garden, New York, NY, USA
October 21st 1953
Attendance: 18,869

The World Middleweight title had been vacant for eight months following the retirement of Sugar Ray Robinson in December 1952. In April, the British Boxing Board announced that Randy would face Charles Humez for the vacant World Title. This was opposed by boxing boards the National Boxing Association (NBA), New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC) and European Boxing Union (EBU).

It was eventually agreed that the winner of the Turpin-Humez bout would face the winner of a bout between American's Bobo Olson and Paddy Young. Randy and Olson both won their fights via a fifteen round decision and would meet for the vacant World Middleweight title.

Randy's preparation for the fight was minimal, most notably seeing him spar only 30 rounds in training. The lack of training was due to the reappearance of Adele Daniels, a women from Harlem who he had met during his stay in New York for the Sugar Ray Robinson rematch. Daniels caused several scenes at Randy's hotel room, forcing him to hide away in his training camp, refusing to talk to press and threatening to leave for England at the slightest provocation. Daniels would accuse Randy of assault, claiming that he had attacked her in the weeks leading up to the fight.

Purses - Randy and Olson both received an equal 30% of the $167,851 gate receipts, giving both fighters a purse of $56,830.

Referee - The referee for this bout was Al Berl, who had officiated bouts involving Carmen Basiilo, Kid Galivan and Roland LaStarza

Sparring:  Randy sparred with his brother Jackie in preparation for the bout. [Press agent Murray Goodman] witnessed the sparring and said "He had his brother Jackie with him, a little guy no bigger than a featherweight, and he banged him up badly. He banged the hell out of him and had him bouncing off the floor like a rubber ball."

Odds - Olson was an 13-to-5 favourite to win the bout while Randy was considered the outsider at 3-to-1. Earlier in the week odds of 11-to-5 (Olson) and 2-to-1 (Randy) had been quoted but the doubts over Randy's physical and mental condition forced the change.

Weigh In - Olson outweighed Randy by 2½lbs at 159½ to Randy's 157. Having arrived in America at 171lbs, many were surprised that Randy had managed to get below the 160lb middleweight limit. Randy's manager [George Middleton] described him as being "in excellent shape in every way"

"I'm going to regain my middleweight crown. I hope to win by knockout but if I don't knock him out, I will win a decision. I did not cross an ocean just for the exercise. There have been many false rumours about me. There is only one way I can answer those charges and that's by fighter my heart out. I could not go back to the England I love unless I gave it my all

"They say I haven't trained hard enough for this fight. Who is to be the judge of how hard I work? I have worked all right, harder than most people think. I boxed 58 rounds in England before coming here. I haven't had too many public workouts, true enough, but I have never liked working in public. I had too much of that sweating in the booths of the carnivals.

"I am in perfect condition physically and mentally. The only thing I have on my mind now is Bobo Olson. I would be an awful blighter to let my people down. I couldn't live in England again if I didn't do the best I know how. I couldn't face my friends if I went into a fight for the world championship without being in the best of condition. I will win." [Randy Turpin]

I'm in excellent condition for my championship fight with Randy Turpin and I expect to win. I'm not saying I will win by knockout but I might. I have trained harder for this fight than any bout in a long time. I boxed 40 rounds in San Francisco before coming east and since arriving in Asbury Park I sparred 30 rounds.

Any fighter who could lick Sugar Ray Robinson must be good. I'm not taking too seriously the talk that he has not trained properly. I don't think any boxer would cross the ocean, travel more than 3,000 miles, then not be in the best of shape. I won't be fooled by stories that come from his camp. They have made me train twice as hard. I have benefited greatly by running in the sand of the beach everyday. I want my friends in Hawaii and San Francisco to know that i'm going to put up the best fight of my life and that I will bring the middleweight championship of the world to San Francisco and keep the title in America" [Bobo Olson]

"It will be a lively fight. I lean towards Olson because he is always a superbly conditioned athlete. He doesn’t hit as hard as Randy, but he throws a lot more punches. He’s always after you, but he’s got a peculiar style that makes him a difficult target to nail. I can’t see Randy doing him much damage with his fists.

I know Turpin is having trouble making the weight. He scaled 171 pounds when he came over here to train. That means he must take off 11 pounds in a comparatively short time. That’s not good. Why, I remember Randy had weight trouble before our first fight in London, back in July 1951." [Sugar Ray Robinson]

[Randy's promoter Jack Solomons] was not impressed with his fighters preparations stating "He hasn't done enough boxing to suit me" adding "When I watched him he appeared out of distance (off on his timing)"

• Click on the images to the right for a larger version

Round 1: Randy begins the fight well and looks strong and focused in spite of his weight making issues and personal problems. He dominates the opening round with several swift barrages of punches, whilst Olson is punished with counters as he attempts to find his range and land his own shots. Turpin's round, 1-0

Round 2: Olson still fails to find his range and Randy continues to land the more meaningful shots. Randy is warned by the referee for hitting on the break following one of the rounds many clinches. As the bell sounds to end the round, Randy lands a right hand to the head of Olson and immediately apologises to the Hawaiian. Turpin's round; Turpin 2-0

Round 3: After some good work from Randy, Olson lands a short counter left hook as Randy attempts a body shot. Good movement against the ropes helps Randy avoid a big right hand, and following a clinch he lands a good left hook which forces Olson onto the back foot. Turpin's round; Turpin 3-0

Round 4: After an early exchange of jabs, the round comes to life as an Olson right hand opens up a cut on Randy's cheek. Later in the round, Randy attempts a body shot but but is countered by a left hook, he backs Olson to the corner where they exchange punches but neither fighter is able to land a significant blow.
Olson's round; Turpin 3-1

Round 5: Olson begins to stamp his authority on the fight with some crisp, sharp punching working behind the jab. Randy however still has the better of it in the clinch with some good short shots. As the round comes to a close, Olson backs Randy to the ropes and begins unloading punches but most are avoided by Randy's good defensive work. Olson's round; Turpin 3-2

Round 6: Randy misses with a right hand but Olson fails to land an attempted counter. Olson lands a left hook followed by a right hand and is then able to avoid a couple of shots from Randy. Olson steps back from a clinch and lands a right hand that forces Randy to back away to the ropes. Again Randy's good head movement and defence means he avoids the majority of Olson's follow up attack. Olson is now clearly the stronger of the two fighters as he is able to keep Randy pinned against the ropes where he unloads punches to body and head. Olson's round; Even 3-3

Round 7: Both fighters attempt body shots from the clinch for the opening exchanges of the round. Randy lands the better shots, before Olson lands with a body attack of his own followed by two shots to the head. Both fighters are neglecting the jab and going straight for the bigger shots inside. Towards the end of the round, Olson backs Randy to the ropes and lands a couple of head shots as Randy's defence lets him down for the first time in the fight. Olson's round; Olson 4-3

Round 8: Randy attempts an uppercut followed by a left hook but both shots are avoided. Olson partially lands a left hook, then misses with a right hand but follows with an excellent left hook to the body. The commentator suggests that Randy is looking good in the early stages of the rounds but is fading as the rounds progress. Randy avoids a left hook from Olson but misses with his counter right hand. As the round nears its conclusion, Randy lands a good right hand to Olson's chin forcing him to hold until the bell. Even round; Even 4-3-1

Round 9: Randy fails to land a jab but catches Olson with a short right uppercut. Randy attempts a vicious left hook but Olson ducks to avoid it. Following a clinch, Randy leaps forward with a right hand but is countered an Olson left hook. Randy backs to ropes where he receives five or six unanswered punches. He manages to stay on his feet and eventually manages to get off the ropes before attempting a couple of big right hands, neither of which lands cleanly. Olson backs Randy to the ropes again and lands of series of right and left hands before Randy finally slumps to the canvas. The bell sounds while he is down and he reaches his feet at the referees count of seven. Olson's round; Olson 5-3-1

Round 10: Olson begins aggressively looking to continue his success from round 9, but Randy lands a short right uppercut followed by a counter right hand. Randy attempts a right hook to the head but is countered by a left hook that knocks him off balance and into the ropes. Olson lands a flurry of punches that puts Randy down for the second time in the fight. He gets up at the count of 9, and Olson immediately pins him to the ropes and lands four or five punches before Randy manages to clinch. Olson again forces a tired looking Randy to the ropes where he is trapped until the bell saves him from any further punishment. Olson's round; Olson 6-3-1

Round 11: Olson lands a double jab and forces Randy to the ropes once more. Randy shows a better defence than the previous two rounds and with a short left uppercut moves back to the centre of the ring. Olson blocks a quick left hook but fails to defend against a right and left to the body. Randy lands a series of jabs before Olson hurts him with a good left to the body and he again retreats to the ropes. Olson lands a series of left and right hands until Randy manages to land a right hand and work his way off the ropes. Olson attempts a jab but is countered by a right hand before the fighters trade body shots in the clinch until the bell.
Olson's Round; Olson 7-3-1

Round 12: Olson opens the round with a strong jab that moves Randy back into the ropes. Randy takes a couple of shots but does well to work his way out of trouble and lands a left then right himself. Following a clinch, Olson feints then lands a big right to Randy's jaw that buckles his legs momentarily. Olson moves Randy into the ropes and lands two shots before Randy bravely battles away from the ropes with body shots. Olson is countered as he attempts a jab, and Randy follows this with a series of right hands before the bell sounds to end the round. Olson's round; Olson 8-3-1

Round 13: Round begins with both fighters working behind the jab although neither lands a single shot for over a minute. Olson attempts a wild left hook but misses before he reaches in with a jab which Randy counters with a right uppercut followed by a left hook. With the round almost over, Olson lands a left to the head that sends Randy into the ropes. He follows this with seven unanswered punches that almost sends Randy through the ropes before he is saved by the bell. Olson's Round; Olson 9-3-1

Round 14: Olson opens the round working behind the jab before attempting to land a big right hand that Randy does well to avoid. Both fighters trade jabs and engage in a series of clinches, before Olson blocks a left hook from Randy. The cut on Randy's cheek reopens and he is now also cut around the mouth. Olson lands a short left hook, before Randy lands one of his own as the referee is breaking a clinch. In the last meaningful action of the round, Randy misses with a big looping right hand before the fighters clinch until the bell sounds.
Even round; Olson 9-3-2

Round 15: The fighters touch gloves at the start of the final round. Randy attempts a left to Olson's body and then to his head but neither lands cleanly. He follows this by coming up short with a jab but lands a good right hand followed by a left hook and another right. Both fighters trade punches and Randy lands a couple of left hooks to Olson's body. Randy continues to look for the big shot he needs for the knockout, and both men trade punches until the final bell. Turpin's round; Olson 9-4-2

Official Decision: Bobo Olson; Unanimous Decision
(Official Scorecards: Al Berl 4-9-2 | Charley Shortell: 4-11 | Arthur Susskind: 7-8)

Below is my scorecard of the fight.

"This lad isn't in the same class with (Sugar Ray) Robinson." [Randy on Olson]

"If I had been in my natural mental state, I could have stopped him about the eighth round” said Randy “But I’ve had so many personal troubles recently, I wasn’t myself" [Randy Turpin]

"Probably never in any previous title fight in any division has a contender appeared so amazingly helpless when penned against the ropes as Turpin did . . . On 16 different occasions the English Negro was backed into the ropes and into corners and subjected to a battering while he stood there with his hands almost at his sides and rolling his head from side to side." [News reporter Jack Cuddy]

[Randy's mother Beatrice] believed that he would retire from boxing after losing this fight stating: "He always said he would (retire) after he had lost"

On returning to England after losing to Olson, Randy was interviewed by a press reporter.

Q: Randy lets go back to this fight with Olson, what do you think about the decision?
A: Well, I think the decision was fair enough, I knew myself that I had lost.

Q: Do you think you could beat him if you had another go at him?
A: Yes I think so, providing I get all my other matters settled up first.

Q: You're going back to New York to have another go at him, or are you going to have another go at him in this country?
A: That's up to my manager

Q: It is reported in this country that you are going to retire from boxing and going to work on a farm, is that right?
A: (laughs) Farm works just as hard as boxing, so I shall leave that to my manager to decide.

Q: But are you going to retire Randy?
A: Well we all have to retire sometime.

Q: But you've no intention of going at the moment?
A: No

Q: Your still in the boxing game?
A: I'm still in the boxing game, yes.

Q: There's also a question that you have passed your peak in the fight game, what do you say about that?
A: Well, if anybody's....any fighter, no matter who it is, when he's got loads of things on his mind before the fight, he's past his peak before he gets in the ring.

Q: And that was the problem in New York was it?
A: Yes I think so.

Q: Can we say this, that when you get all of your personal affairs cleared up you'll be right back on form again?
A: I shall be back on top form.

Adele Daniels, the woman who claimed that Randy had beaten her in the build up to the fight, withdrew her assault charge against him two weeks after the Olson fight. She would however attempt to sue him for $100,000 in damages, this case was settled out of court for a sum of $3,500 on December 2nd, 1955.

Randy would follow this fight with a 10 rounds points victory over Olle Bengtsson, before a shock 1st round knockout defeat against Tiberio Mitri would see him lose his European title and effectively end his hopes of another World title tilt.

Olson would successfully defend his title against Kid Galivan, Rocky Castellani and Pierre Langlois. In 1955, he was unsuccessful in a challenge for Archie Moore's World Light-Heavyweight title, suffering a 3rd round knockout. He would follow this by losing his Middleweight title via knockout to a recently out of retirement Sugar Ray Robinson.

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